Ukraine: Situation Report, December 2025

Highlights

• Hostilities in Ukraine’s front-line oblasts remained intense as the humanitarian impact on civilians worsened. Intensified strikes in Donetska, Khersonska and Zaporizka oblast continued to drive evacuations.
• Attacks on energy facilities increased more than threefold in September compared to August, with the approaching winter posing new risks for Ukrainians.
• From January to November 2025, humanitarian partners reached 4.7 million people under the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP)—61 per cent of the reprioritized target—while the appeal stood at only 47 per cent funded.
• Assistance under the 2025–2026 Winter Response Plan has already reached 1 million people.
• Funding shortages continue to limit the response and threaten the continuity of essential services. Humanitarian partners continue to adapt, but sustaining essential services requires flexible resources to protect the most vulnerable during the harsh winter months.

Analysis

• Attacks across Ukraine, intense hostilities in the front-line oblasts and those bordering the Russian Federation continued to be the main factors shaping humanitarian access constraints.
• Among the three humanitarians killed, two lost their lives in the line of duty, while another 11 sustained injuries in September and October.
• On 4 September, a missile strike near Chernihiv claimed the lives of two humanitarian deminers and injured eight more, marking the deadliest single incident involving humanitarian workers in 2025.
• Another serious incident occurred on 14 October, when a drone strike hit two trucks that were part of an inter-agency convoy to Bilozerka, Khersonska Oblast, destroying 11 tons of humanitarian aid.
• The changes on the front line in Donetska Oblast, Kupianskyi Raion in Kharkivska Oblast, and the eastern areas of Dnipropetrovska Oblast have reduced the ability of humanitarians to provide assistance, including support with evacuations.

For more information, read: Ukraine: Humanitarian Access Incidents Dashboard

Humanitarian Response

• From January to November 2025, humanitarian partners reached 4.7 million people—61 per cent of the reprioritized target.
• Yet, more than 353,000 remain at risk of facing winter without adequate heating or essential items. Conditions in collective sites are equally concerning: of 338 sites prioritized for winter support, only 39 are set to receive assistance.
• Funding shortages continue to limit the response and threaten continuity of essential services into early 2026.
• Without additional resources, critical services and response—including logistics, water, heating, and protection—risk scaling down in the coming months.

For more information, read: Humanitarian Response and Funding Snapshot (January – October 2025).